Convention floor spaces, trade show venues and similar event spaces pose challenges with respect to providing a communication infrastructure therewith. This is at least in part due to the fact that event spaces change dynamically, e.g., vendor or booth locations change over the course of a convention or between events.
Typically, broad-coverage Wi-Fi® access or cellular networks are used for providing indoor or outdoor wireless communication capabilities in such scenarios, but these networks tend to cover the entire event space (or large portions thereof) indiscriminately. Wi-Fi® access points or routers are installed in fixed locations in an un-configured event space, which results in uneven coverage patterns. Moreover, the coverage pattern will often change unpredictably once the event space is configured for a particular event as temporary structures, signage, and even people cause signal attenuation and reflection. Wi-Fi® is a registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance in the United States and other countries.
Conventionally, attendees at events have relied on wide area coverage wireless networks, e.g., Wi-Fi® or cellular networks, and turned to more traditional solutions for targeted exchange of information. For example, conference attendees have Wi-Fi® access but still rely on leaving a business card with a booth or vendor of interest. In some cases, scanning a magnetic strip card is used to pass simple identifying information. In order to obtain other information, e.g., locations of vendors of interest, product information on items of interest, etc., paper brochures or static maps are still provided.